echoes in the dead of dawn
by theackles
Summary: Dean is stabbed and has no chance at surviving, so Cas talks him through death.


In the dead of silence at dawn, there was a scream. One of death, one of pain and the quake of fear. It blew birds out of their nests, bugs deeper into the dirt, deer further into the woods. Another scream chased after it, coated only in more fear as the snow began to fall from the gray sky, beginning to dust the ground in cold white.

"Hush, be quiet,"

"N-No, it burns,"

"Dean, please, you're going to attract more demons, and I can't fight them off this time."

The deep green-eyed man with chaotic brown hair let out another blood curdling scream against the rocky shore of a cold river. "Cas, just pull it out already!" Cas, the other man with just-as-chaotic black hair and vivid blue eyes knelt down beside of Dean and wrapped a gentle hand around the large, thick, sharp knife that was lodged all the way through Dean's abdomen.

"I will, just don't scream again!" Cas begged, "Please, Dean."

Dean dug his boots into the thickening snow and grabbed Cas's forearm that held the knife. With a grunt, Cas tugged it out with a fraction of Dean's help. Through gritted teeth, Dean held back another scream, his eyes screwing shut, a painfully loud groan coming out instead. Blood poured out of the wound like water from a faucet and within a blink of a blue eye, Dean was falling unconscious faster than Cas could figure out what was happening.

"Dean?" Cas shook Dean's shoulders. Dean let out a moan. "Dean! Stay awake!" He pleaded, reaching to the hem of his shirt and pulling it off. He wadded it into a ball and pressed it against Dean's midsection. He slapped Dean's face gently, barely getting Dean's eyes to peel open.

"Cas..." Dean whimpered, kicking his foot slightly in the snow as he reached an arm up to lay a hand over Cas's, holding onto the bloody shirt. "I'm not gonna make it, am I?"

"Shut up," Cas suddenly growled. "Shut the fuck up!"

Dean tried to laugh but it came out as a cough instead. "Don't lie to yourself, Cas," he wheezed. "You can't save everybody."

Cas suddenly sobbed, the tears welling up in his eyes. "I don't get the chance to!" He cried quietly, his voice frantic and higher than normal. "I could fix this. I could!"

"I know, Cas," Dean whispered, tightening his finger's around Cas's hand. "You could. You can do this with your eyes shut, but sometimes circumstances aren't right and there's nothing you can do." With all his strength, he pulled Cas's hand away from his wound, feeling the unpleasant rip of drying blood coming away with the shirt. A new stream of blood leaked from his wound, now gone numb. "Just let me die here. We fought good."

"No, Dean," Cas gritted his teeth through the tears and felt the sudden nip of cold air and snow against his paling bare back. He tried to push the shirt back against Dean's wound but Dean resisted.

"No." Dean gulped back the blood threatening to rise in his throat. "Leave me be. Go...Go save yourself. From the demons, before they do the same to you."

"You're fucking stupid if you think I'm leaving you here alone." Cas seethed through gritted teeth, anger soaring through him, at himself. The snow began to form a pile on top of Dean, ready to bury him in red ice. "You're so fucking stupid." Cas whispered, collapsing in the snow beside of Dean.

"What are you doing?"

"If you're going to insist on dying here, I'm laying here with you." Cas laid down despite the wet, crimson snow. Dean let out an involuntary whimper, tears suddenly piling in his eyes.

"I don't wanna die, Cas,"

Cas felt the tears flood his eyes, then slide down his cheeks in hot streams. He looked down at Dean's wound and already knew he'd lost too much blood to carry him back to the base for a makeshift surgery. He'd die on the way, no matter how fast he ran.

"I'm so sorry, Dean," Cas whispered, sniffing through the tears. He wrapped an arm under Dean and pulled him into his bare chest. Dean grabbed at his skin, nails digging in weakly while he shook with small cries. "I'm so sorry."

"Shut up, Cas," Dean whispered, his eyes threatening to close. "Don't wanna die listenin' to you apologizing..."

"What do you wanna hear then?" Cas whispered, looking down at Dean's fading green irises. "How about I love you?"

Dean gave a weak smile, his eyes blinking slowly, "That's better." He mumbled, fingers rubbing against Cas's stomach. He suddenly coughed, violently, blood escaping his mouth and splattering across Cas's stomach. Cas felt his face screw up with sadness and anger and tears as he sobbed. "Don' cry," Blood pooled inside Dean's mouth and started to leak out of the corner.

Cas took a shaky hand and wiped it away. "I love you. I love you so much. I don't want you do die, Dean, what am I going to do without you?"

Dean hummed as everything brightened around him. The snow that fell against Cas's black hair, the brightness of Cas's beautiful blue eyes. "Too late for a plan B," Dean mumbled, his head beginning to go slack. Cas was quick like lightening to catch it with a hand, holding Dean's head up. "Cas?"

"Yes?"

"I love you too. A lot. Like pie." He tried to smile, the blood pouring out of his mouth. Cas laughed softly, just as Dean's eyes fell shut.

"No..no," Cas pleaded, "Dean!"

Dean grunted, eyebrows scrunching together to form the small V. He pursed his reddened lips and groaned softly, opening his eyes. "I'm real tired, Cas," he sighed, a dark red tongue slowly sweeping across his stained plump lips. "You might not wanna, but...but will you kiss me?"

Without a second's hesitation, Cas pressed his lips to Dean's, feeling the weak press of Dean's own lips. Under him, Dean suddenly tensed. He pulled up just fast enough to miss the bloody cough, and then Dean's green eyes flicked to somewhere off in the distance before he finally went limp in Cas's arms.

"D...Dean?" Cas whimpered, fingers knotting in his hair. He got no reply. "Fuck, no," he hissed, pressing his lips to Dean's again. They didn't press back. "Fuck! Dean! No, god!" He sobbed, pushing his face into Dean's neck, the tears coming freely against the silence of Dean's chest. Cas pushed himself to look at Dean, whose green eyes were still staring off in the distance. With shaky fingers, he slipped his eyes shut, and shut Dean's slack mouth.

"I love you," Cas whispered, peeling himself away from Dean and laying him gently in the snow. It was thickening and beginning to transition into a blizzard. Dean would be covered soon. With a cold kiss to Dean's icy forehead and a brush through his hair, Cas grabbed the knife that killed him and his bag. He slung it over his shoulders, and with a final glance at the man he only just realized he was in love with, he disappeared.


End file.
